Neal Baxter bought his first pistol shortly after the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012.

“It wasn’t, however, because of the shooting, rather the potential for overreaction by Congress afterwords,” said Baxter, from Rochester Hills. “I’ve owned rifles for years and been a hunter yet never really saw the need for a pistol.

“Fear of having the ability to get one in the future fueled my decision.”

“The second one is when there’s a discussion about gun laws and individual rights therein, that causes increased buying activity as well,” he said. “For them, it’s to make sure they don’t get caught in the situation where they lose the opportunity.”

Michigan, like most states, is a “shall-issue” state when it comes to concealed pistols, meaning an applicant doesn’t have to show a reason for wanting to carry a concealed pistol, and meets the requirements under state law.

The most recent change to Michigan law was June 24 when Gov. Rick Snyder signed House Bill 4155 into law. It exempts firearms records, like name and address, from Freedom of Information Act disclosure while allowing law enforcement access to the records while performing their duties.

Bouchard, the county sheriff, said it’s partly a response to a New York news outlet publishing the names and addresses of people with concealed weapons shortly after the Connecticut shootings in 2012.

“From a privacy aspect and a transparency aspect, I’m good with it not being FOIA-able to the general public,” Bouchard said.

He said public disclosure of where concealed weapons are could be an enticement for the non-law abiding.

“My concern on that is when they publish, they have a list of where weapons are,” Bouchard said. “If they took the time and did their homework, they might find a weapon to steal.”